This application is a continuation of application number PCT/EP99/00731 filed on Feb. 4, 1999.
The present invention relates to a multiple-dose bottle with a dosage spout for products, particularly for medicines.
It is known that some products, such as for example medicines, if contained in multiple-dose bottles, use preservatives in order to avoid any likely bacterial contaminations caused by direct contact of the contained product with the surrounding air.
Currently applicable statutory provisions required, in the near future, the elimination of these preservatives from multiple-dose bottles and this disadvantageously entails the inadequacy of known kinds of bottles, which do not ensure complete asepsis of the product.
As an alternative, in order to obviate this drawback of known kinds of multiple-dose bottles, single-dose bottles which are used only once and therefore require no preservatives are used for the dosage of these products.
However, even these single-dose bottles are not free from drawbacks, including the fact that the asepsis of the product is ensured at the cost of wasting material, since the single-dose bottle is discarded after a single application of the product.
A dispensing bottle suitable for storing a sterile solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,906.
Further examples of containers provided with applicators, suitable for preserving substances, are available from U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,892, U.S. Pat. No. 5,743,441 and CH-A-528 415.
The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the above drawbacks of conventional bottles, providing a multiple-dose bottle with a dosage spout for products, particularly medicines, which allows to fully eliminate the use of preservatives which are harmful to human health, to contain an aseptic product which can be used even more than once, and to reduce the waste of material and therefore the manufacturing and packaging costs of bottles for an equal volume of contained product.
Within the scope of this technical aim, an object of the present invention is to achieve the above aim with a structure which is simple, relatively easy to provide in practice, safe in use, effective in operation and relatively cheap.
This aim and this object are both achieved by the present multiple-dose bottle with a dosage spout for products, particularly medicines, having the features set forth in the appended claims.